Alola, everyone! Ready to continue the Alola journey? I know you're probably all waiting on the next chapter of "Avengers: Omni Force", but don't you worry! We're gonna find out what happens next month for sure.
In the meantime, we're finally at the Altar of the Sunne just as our heroes are close to finding the Legendary Pokémon! So what will happen now? Well, let's find out!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"The Altar of the Sunne…" Gladion uttered as he and the others looked up to the summit he and the others were about to head toward.
"I still can't believe we're actually here to find the legendary Pokémon…" Hau admitted, trembling with excitement.
"It's probably gonna be dark by the time we make it up there…" Pyrrha pointed out.
"So are we gonna do whatever to get the legendary Pokémon tonight or tomorrow?" Paige inquired aloud.
"Either way, we might as well get up there soon…" Trent insisted as he balled his hands into fists. As they conversed over a strategy, the Ketchum twins stood off to the side with Lillie, Rotom, and Hapu.
"Thanks for helping guide the others here," Calvin said gratefully to the kahuna, who laughed heartily, placing her hands onto her hips.
"It's no trouble at all, Calvin!" she assured in response, "Those three friends of yours cleared Mina's trial together, so they're more than ready to take on another with all of you!" she pointed out with a thumbs up.
"They cleared her trial already?" Erika questioned, blinking in surprise as she looked back in surprise to their rivals, "Even Hau?" she inquired on, remembering that her cousin had left to go train on his own.
"Well, he was pretty adamant about joining up with the group," Hapu recalled, scratching at her right cheek, "And I had a good feeling about that attitude he's got," she mentioned, causing the Ketchum twins to look over at their cousin, who laughed amongst his rivals. He didn't seem so beaten down anymore. He looked relatively happy.
"Anyways… we're going to probably wait until morning," Lillie decided, changing the subject of the conversation, "I know some of us are probably still ready to get going, but Calvin's team is still pretty worn down from the trial back there…" she noted, remembering having to attend to his Pokémon earlier with Erika.
"So long as you don't mind waiting until tomorrow, I think that's fine," the Ketchum boy assured.
"Yeah!" his twin sister agreed.
"Plus, thizzz givezzz us time to work on a strategy!" Rotom buzzed additionally.
"Hm," Hapu chuckled with a small grin, "I guess this means y'all are ready to go on your own for now," she concluded, getting their attentions. Lillie blinked in surprise before smiling.
"I suppose you're right," she replied, walking up to the kahuna and bowing her head, "Thank you for everything, Hapu," she said in gratitude, "We wouldn't have been able to even get this far without your help," she pointed out, tilting her head to the side and having a big grin cross her face.
"It's no trouble at all, Lillie," Hapu responded, "Just keep moving forward, and you'll reach your goal," she assured as she winked. The Ketchum twins smiled at the interaction. Both of them knew that the blonde-haired girl used to be quite shy and timid. Now she was willing to do so many things in order to save the ones she cared about.
"Now it's time for us to get to that altar…" Calvin realized, causing Erika to wince.
"Do we really have to climb up all those steps?" she grumbled in question.
"You could use the exercise, zzt…" Rotom bluntly noted, making its user glare at it angrily. Taking a deep breath, a determined look came across Lillie's face. She was prepared to see her goal through… and save her mother.
OPENING
Insert "Merry-Go-Round" by Man with a Mission
Opens with a black background slowly becoming brighter as Calvin, Erika, Hau, Lillie, Pyrrha, Paige and Trent walk forward. The camera pans to show that they're approaching the Ultra Wormhole. The Ketchum twins come to a stop, both taking deep breaths as they're prepared to see their new mission through.
Continues with a shot of Calvin reflecting on his past failures: losing to Team Skull in the Verdant Cavern, getting defeated by Hau, and failing to beat Olivia. However, he turns and smiles to find all of his Pokémon there behind him, letting out encouraging shouts. Mimi wraps her appendages around everyone for a big hug as Togedemaru cringes.
The scene changes to a shot of Erika also reflecting somberly on her recent losses to Guzma, Plumeria, and Nanu. She looks at her Z-Power Ring in deep thought for a moment, but is snapped away from any negative feelings as Primarina and Lycanroc wrap their arms around her. She laughs happily as the rest of her Pokémon join in.
We cut to a shot of Lillie lamenting on how to save Cosmoem before giving off a determined look. The scene shifts over to Gladion, who stands alongside Silvally in the conservation area of Aether Paradise. He seems a bit troubled about the situation himself before finally taking on a firm expression, ready to see things through.
We see Hau with his Decidueye, Pyrrha with her Typhlosion, Paige with her Blaziken, and Trent with his Greninja. All the Pokémon perform moves of their own before we shift over to Lusamine, who grins eerily while in the Ultra Deep Sea. Meanwhile, Guzma is trembling nearby.
The scene changes to Hau commanding his Noivern to use Boomburst to take down a wild Machoke, followed by Pyrrha instructing her Lapras to defeat a wild Boldore with Surf. Trent pumps his right fist forward before his Mightyena races ahead of him and takes out a Haunter with a Crunch. Finally, Paige's Medicham defeats a Lycanroc by using a High Jump Kick.
We cut to Calvin facing a Totem Kommo-o, who roars out angrily as his aura flares up. Calvin sends out Mimi as she charges forward. In the meantime, Erika has Sandslash use Icicle Crash against an Alolan Exeggutor, who swings its long neck to shatter the incoming icicles. What follows is the two of them arriving at the Altar of the Sunne alongside Lillie. They play the Sun and Moon Flutes together, causing the glyph to unleash a beam of multicolored light down onto the altar.
The last scene of the opening is Calvin and Erika in the Ultra Deep Sea with Lillie and Gladion. They all look up in horror to see the combined form of Lusamine and Nihilego. She stares at them with crazed, widened eyes before readying her tentacles…
END OPENING
Shine Solgaleo!
"Ugh…" Erika groaned out as she took another step up, sweating madly, "How much further…?" she questioned, looking up to see everyone ahead of her.
"We're halfway there," Gladion answered.
"HALFWAY?!" the Ketchum girl repeated loudly out of shock, groaning again. After Hapu had left to return home, the group was now left with the task to make the trek up to the altar. They could've camped out at the base for the evening, but everyone, including Erika, decided it'd be for the best to just make the trek up tonight to save time. That was a decision she was immediately regretting.
"So once we're there, what happens?" Trent inquired, "I mean, what do we do to get the legendary Pokémon here?" he questioned on towards Gladion, correcting himself.
"We have to play the Sun and Moon Flutes," he responded, "After that, the legendary Pokémon should appear," he mentioned.
"And then what?" Paige asked curiously, causing him to groan.
"Look, I'm not entirely sure of everything, okay?" he grumbled in admittance, "We'll see what happens in the morning," he said, continuing onward.
"Gladion's really serious about getting to his mom, huh?" Hau noted quietly over to Calvin, getting his attention.
"Yeah…" he agreed in a whisper with a simple nod, "I think he feels like he couldn't do anything but help stop that Nihilego that came out back at Aether Paradise…" he told his cousin, "We all tried to do something however we could…" he pointed out, "And we're going to make this right… for both him and Lillie," he added firmly.
"Right!" Hau agreed.
"Ugh…" Erika groaned, barely managing to keep up with the rest of the group. The sunset in the far distance was a wonderful sight to behold, but she paid little mind to it due to her exhaustion. She would've fallen over if not for Pyrrha and Lillie coming over and wrapping her arms over their shoulders.
"Can't leave someone as strong as you behind, Erika!" the former of the two pointed out with a wink, making her blush with flattery.
"If I can at least help you like this, I'll feel like a real friend to you," Lillie mentioned as she giggled.
"Thanks, you two…" the Ketchum girl said with gratitude before they continued up to the altar. Once they finally arrived, their eyes shimmered in amazement. Sun and moon-shaped symbols were upon columns beside the center of the altar itself, while a large rock structure at the back had the sun-shaped marking upon a giant indentation carved out by stone.
"Whoa, it's huge…!" Hau gasped out, widening his shaking eyes. Meanwhile, Gladion looked around to survey the area, with Paige and Trent following him. There were two small, square-shaped pedestal on either side of the altar, both surrounded by shallow water.
"Guess this must be where they play the flutes, right?" the silver-haired girl guessed, getting the former enforcer's attention.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he replied, making her crack a smug grin, "Anyways, let's start setting up camp for the night," he advised of the group.
"Huh…" Erika exhaled with relief once she, Lillie and Pyrrha arrived at the summit, "So this is it…" she realized, removing her arms from her friends' shoulders.
"What do you think we'll be getting ourselves into, Erika?" Pyrrha asked of her rival.
"All I know is, we're gonna do whatever it takes to bring back Miss Lusamine and Mister Guzma," she responded with a determined expression.
"In the meantime, we should all just rest for the evening," Lillie insisted with a little smile. A while passed before the group set up camp, with a fire being started around the group of eight. Rotom floated about the altar, taking pictures of the columns, statues, and markings.
"So what are Alola's Legendary Pokémon like?" Calvin inquired curiously.
"There's two of them," Gladion confirmed, raising up two of his fingers, "Solgaleo of the Sun… and Lunala of the Moon," he told the group, "Those two came together to bring light to Alola, both in the day and the night," he mentioned, "As a matter of fact, I've heard stories that Cosmog was actually created by them," he added to the surprise of the others.
"No wonder it was so important to Miss Lusamine…" Trent realized, narrowing his eyes in thought while placing his hand onto his chin.
"Wait… where is Cosmog anyway?" Paige asked, looking over to Lillie.
"Oh, Nebby's still in my bag," she assured in reply.
"YOU'VE BEEN CARRYING IT THIS WHOLE TIME?!" the silver-haired girl questioned loudly out of shock, remembering just how heavy the Protostar Pokémon was from what Rotom described.
"If Nebby was created by Solgaleo and Lunala, shouldn't it be crazy powerful?" Hau wondered aloud.
"I'd say creating Ultra Wormholes across Alola in an instant is enough of a display of its potential," Gladion responded, "And besides…" he continued, "we're going to need an Ultra Wormhole if we wanna find our mother and Guzma," he pointed out as he looked back at his sister, who nodded back.
"That makes me wonder… what are Solgaleo and Lunala like?" Erika inquired curiously, "Hey, Rotodex!" she called out, getting the Pokédex's attention as it ceased snapping pictures for a moment, "Can you show us what Solgaleo and Lunala are like?" she requested of it as it floated over.
"Of course, zzt!" it buzzed in reply, bringing up an image. It was of a large, white Pokémon resembling a lion. It had a blunt muzzle with a blue-gray nose and pale blue eyes. The top half of its face was a deep blue area that showed a starscape. Four yellow spikes framed its head like a crown and two more pairs of spikes adorned either side of its lower jaw. Each spike separated large tufts of its mane. Solid ridges, red nearest its head and yellow farther away, poked out of each tuft along the middle, except on the tufts on its cheeks and chin, with the topmost part wrapping around the tip of the tuft. Overall, its mane created the impression of a stylized sun. Around each leg was a dark orange band, and there was a black spot on each foot. It had three black toes on each foot with long yellow claws. At the tip of its tail was a large black spot with a thin yellow rim.
"That must be Solgaleo, right?" Pyrrha guessed as she and the others stared at the image.
"Correct, zzt!" Rotom answered, "Solgaleo, the Sunne Pokémon," it began, "It is said to live in another world. The intense light it radiates from the surface of its body can make the darkest of nights light up like midday. Sometimes the result of its opening an Ultra Wormhole is that energy and life-forms from other worlds are called here to this world," it explained thoroughly.
"So it can summon Ultra Wormholes…" Trent concluded based upon the information.
"And what about Lunala?" Calvin wondered curiously. The Pokédex pulled up a brand new image, now being one of a large Pokémon resembling a skeletal, legless bat. It had a short snout, dark pink eyes with white centers, and a deep blue area on its upper head that showed a starscape. A rigid raised hood wrapped around its head in a crescent shape and draped around its neck as well. The outside of the hood was yellow, while the inner part that curved around its head was white with deep blue streaks. Its torso resembled a ribcage with a slightly curved spike on each shoulder and three spikes extending from the bottom toward its tail. Its massive wings resembled a bat's wings with the skeleton exposed, except that its wings had a total of seven 'finger bones': four running through each wing, one running along the edge to the outermost tip, and two pointing upwards which seemingly could act as claws that were more functional. The four 'bones' in its wings are only visible in segments. The skin of its wings was an iridescent deep blue and a light blue light source appeared to glow from behind its ribcage. A large, pale yellow crescent connected the outermost tip of each wing to the next two inner tips, and the remaining two innermost tips were adorned by yellow, four-pointed stars. The bottom of its tail was also lined by a yellow crescent with a ridge running up the middle of the tail towards the ribcage.
"Lunala, the Moone Pokémon," Rotom began, "Said to live in another world, this Pokémon devours light, drawing the moonless dark veil of night over the brightness of day. It sometimes summons unknown powers and life-forms here to this world from holes that lead to other worlds," it explained thoroughly.
"Amazing…" Paige uttered out.
"It'd be cool to have both of them helping us, if that's possible," Pyrrha mentioned with a small smile.
"Hm," Gladion chuckled out. In the meantime, Erika took notice of Lillie staring at the flickering embers of the campfire. She seemed… a little troubled. Anyone in her position would be. She had no Pokémon to fight with unlike the seven others in the group.
"You okay?" the Ketchum girl asked, getting her attention.
"Oh… yeah…" she answered slowly, "It's just… I don't know what I'll find when I see my mother again…" she confessed, "Will she even bother to listen to me?" she wondered aloud, getting Calvin and Gladion's attentions. Erika lowered her head for a moment, remembering when she had lashed out at the Aether Foundation president for essentially disowning her children. She tensed up, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"You're strong," she said, making the blonde-haired girl blink in surprise as she looked over to her friend, "And no matter what your mom says, she'll know that you're still ready to keep going," she added firmly, "You helped get Nebby away from the first time, right?" she guessed, holding up her right fist.
"R-Right!" Lillie stuttered, bumping her left fist against hers as they giggled. Calvin smiled, while Gladion lowered his head with shame.
"I'm sorry we have to rely on you like this…" the enforcer apologized, getting the Ketchum boy's attention, "Even though I've got Silvally on my side, we won't be a match for those beasts alone," he admitted, clenching his fists with frustration.
"It's okay," Calvin assured to his surprise, "Whether you'd want our help or not, we'd be here all the same," he stated, giving off a grin. Gladion turned away, sheepishly scratching at his right cheek.
"Th-Thanks…" he stuttered in gratitude, making the Ketchum boy chuckle.
"So who's going to play the flutes?" Pyrrha wondered curiously, starting a new conversation. The group conversed for the rest of the evening, calming their nerves for what was bound to be ahead. There was definitely a lot to deal with. But they'd all do their best.
"A Pokémon-themed wedding?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise from the kitchen of the Ketchum vacation home. He had just heard his daughter talk about the dress fitting today, as she was sitting on the couch enjoying some takeout noodles.
"Yeah," she responded, swallowing her food, "My dress is gonna have a Grass-type look, while theirs are gonna be Fire and Water-typed," she explained on.
"Wow, that sounds great…" her father admitted, "But… Rachael's side is Fire-typed, right?" he inferred, scratching his cheek, "Wasn't her starter Pokémon an Oshawott?" he inquired on. His eldest daughter laughed.
"Dad, they're complimenting each other…" she pointed out, "It's like how you wear a black tux while Mom wears a white dress," she added.
"Oh…" Ash uttered in realization, going ahead to munch on an egg roll, "Yeah, I get it now…" he claimed. Leslie rolled her eyes with a smile. She went back to petting a sleeping Pikachu on the head, as he was lying down beside her.
Since coming back from the fitting, she had just been relaxing for the remainder of the day. Her father had gotten them takeout food, not trusting himself to try and make something for dinner. And that left his eldest daughter wondering…
"Where'd Mom go by the way?" she asked curiously, looking back at the Pokémon Master. He let out a deep sigh.
"She went to meet up with a few of her friends for something," he replied, "Though honestly… I think she's getting really worried about your brother and sister," he admitted to her.
"Hmm…" she hummed in thought, glancing down sadly. She didn't want to worry about her siblings too much. But at the same time, they had apparently gotten involved something that could be really dangerous. Then again, the same had happened to her at one time. "Hey… did you hear about Mister Tennyson going through a divorce?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah," her father answered, "What happened in those five years we lost changed a lot for some of us, including me," he told her, "I think… Ben had the biggest change overall," he mentioned, "He tried to live a new life while looking to fix everything…" he continued, "and in the end, he probably lost two lives through all that," he finished.
"And what'd you lose?" Leslie asked. Ash tensed up slightly before going over and sitting down beside his eldest daughter. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.
"I lost you… your mother… Pikachu… and a lot of my Pokémon…" he listed off to her, "And for a time… I didn't think I'd ever get those things back…" he admitted, "But when I did, I was really happy," he told her, "I can't imagine my life without my wife and kids," he affirmed with a smile. Leslie smiled back, resting her head onto his shoulder. "Now why don't we watch some reruns of old league matches?" he suggested, causing his daughter to giggle.
"Sure, Dad," she replied. She didn't need to know about what her father's life was like during the missing years in which she wasn't there. But she was glad to hear of his hardships, knowing that she was there now.
Up at the end of the Mahalo Trail, Mirajane let the wind breeze through her hair as she stared up at the stars overhead. In her right hand was the U.T. she had used earlier. Another figure came up behind her, being none other than Sunset.
"I wasn't expecting a call from you of all people…" she admitted, folding her arms over her chest. The Take-Over wizard turned to face her.
"I think our children are in trouble…" she pointed out grimly to her surprise, "so we need to go and find them," she insisted. Silence echoed through the trail as the two women stared at each other in understanding. A lot was about to happen.
X
"Ah~…" Erika yawned upon waking up the next morning. She and the others were quick to gather themselves and their things. Reaching into her bag, Lillie looked at the sleeping form of Nebby with a saddened expression. Nevertheless, she steeled herself, smacking her cheeks and pulling out the Moon Flute. Meanwhile, Calvin grabbed the Sun flute from his own bag.
"What if this doesn't work?" Paige inquired curiously out of concern.
"It will," Gladion assured in reply to her surprise, "We just have to have faith," he insisted.
"Never pegged you for a guy to rely on faith…" Trent admitted as he scratched at his right cheek, "Anyway, do those two even know how to play the flutes at all?" he inquired, sounding a bit concerned.
"Or what song they have to play?" Pyrrha questioned on.
"Guys, it'll be okay," Erika said, getting their attentions before they could further annoy the former enforcer with questions, "Lillie and Calvin got this," she assured firmly.
"Yeah!" Hau agreed with a pump of his left fist. He and the others watched as his cousin and the blonde-haired girl took their positions upon the pedestals on opposite sides of the area, stepping across the shallow water. The Ketchum held up the Sun Flute, looking over to Lillie, who held up the Moon Flute.
It was a strange feeling. Calvin had never played the instrument before, yet as he held it, he felt as if he had known for years. The same was the case for Lillie. Their fingers were upon the keys as they readied their lips.
And together, they played. Everyone else watched on in surprise as they heard the beautiful tones emanate from their allies. Their eyes were closed as they continued to play, not knowing what would happen next.
The ground started rumbling, causing everyone to gasp in surprise. And then, the water surrounding the pedestals where Calvin and Lillie were started to glow. They looked to see the multicolored light go upstream, trailing up the stone carving all the way around. The marking then opened into four sections, which all receded to reveal an orange shine behind them.
Everyone saw the sparkles come off from the shine, absorbing the sunlight as a multicolored glow appeared. All of a sudden, a beam of that light shot down onto the dais at the center of the altar, right upon the marking. It formed a dome-shaped mass of rainbow-colored energy, which everyone appeared to awe.
And then, Lillie felt her bag move. She didn't have much time to react as it flew off of her shoulders, heading into the mass of energy. Nebby floated out from the backpack, letting it drop onto the ground. It bathed in the light as everyone looked on in disbelief. It then started to glow in a bright orange luminosity, with its body taking on a more animalistic shape. In fact, Erika immediately recognized it.
"No way…" she uttered out. The flash of light that emitted afterwards was like the shine of the sun. Everyone widened their eyes after bracing them to see that the Cosmoem had transformed into Solgaleo.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" it roared out, falling towards the dais. Lillie's shocked expression slowly changed into a smile as she watched the Sunne Pokémon land down. It roared again proudly as everyone looked on.
"Nebby… evolved?" Pyrrha guessed as her eyes shook.
"That's… what it looks like…" Trent replied, just as stunned.
"Nebby!" Lillie called out, quickly running over to the dais. The Solgaleo perked up, turning to see her and Calvin approach. They both were amazed by the change that the Sunne Pokémon had gone through. Having once been a mysterious creature that acted like a troublesome child, now it was a Legendary Pokémon.
"Thank goodness you're alright…" the Ketchum boy noted, while Lillie wiped away tears of joy from her eyes.
"P-Please don't ever do that again!" she insisted with a stutter, "You made me worry so much!" she pointed out as the others gathered upon the dais.
"This izzz a huge discovery, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as it floated about the Sunne Pokémon, taking pictures again and again. The Solgaleo then went over to its caretaker, who blinked in surprise. It leaned down and gave her an affectionate lick with its yellow tongue, causing her to giggle. The others looked on with smiles.
"I never imagined that us playing the flutes would give you so much power…" Lillie began to admit, "or let you evolve into the legendary Pokémon!" she exclaimed.
"LEEEEEOHHHHH!" the Sunne Pokémon bellowed in response.
"Not once in all my reading did I ever come across a hint that you could become Solgaleo…" its caretaker mentioned. Her brother came over and handed her the pink backpack that had come off her shoulders, allowing her to put it back on.
"Now it's time for us to get to Miss Lusamine and Guzma!" Erika declared as she punched her right hand with her left fist determinedly.
"Yeah," Calvin agreed with a firm nod, while everyone else grinned in agreement. Lillie took on a serious expression, grasping the straps of her bag tightly.
"Please, Solgaleo…" she began to plead, "No… Nebby…" she corrected, "please, Gladion and I…" she continued, "we need to see our mother!" she requested.
"Lah leeeohhh!" the Sunne Pokémon roared as a reply of confirmation, causing everyone to smile with gratitude. The blonde-haired girl was especially grateful as she nodded. Moments later, all eight members of the group boarded the Solgaleo's back. It didn't seem hindered at all by the combined weight, standing up firmly.
"Legendary Pokémon are amazing…!" Hau exclaimed with sparkling eyes. At that moment, a light blue symbol similar to a compass rose appeared upon the forehead of Nebby, as the starscape turned into streaks of light like a meteor shower. It roared while the fur on its body glows a pale yellow and all other parts of its body except its nose turned bright yellow.
In an instant, it leapt up high off the ground, going up as high as it could. An orb of orange-yellow energy enveloped its body, looking like the sun as it grew. A beam of light shot down from the orb towards what looked a distorted section of space in front of the dais. It struck, causing the distortion to open up as an Ultra Wormhole.
"There it is!" Erika exclaimed as she pointed down toward it.
"Okay… let's go, Nebby!" Lillie called out to the Solgaleo. It roared proudly, charging down the beam as if it were a ramp before entering the rift in a flash of brilliant light. None of the eight aboard its back knew what was in store for them. But at the same, they were ready to face any challenge ahead.
X
Opening his eyes, Calvin gasped to see the multicolored pathway Nebby was charging along upon entering the Ultra Wormhole. There were several different rifts upon the path, each of different colors.
"Which one are we supposed to go into?!" Trent asked loudly, sitting near the back of the Sunne Pokémon.
"I don't know…" Gladion answered honestly, "We'll have to just trust Solgaleo's instincts on this one," he confirmed. His sister maintained her determination.
"I believe in you, Nebby," she told the Sunne Pokémon, rubbing its mane. It continued its charge before finally heading towards a white rift, entering in another flash of light. A moment later, the group found themselves in an area that looked like a dark cave with many sparkling crystals on the surrounding columns, and several Nihilego floating out.
"That's… the Ultra Beast from Aether Paradise!" Paige remembered, widening her eyes.
"There's so many of them here…" Pyrrha added, shivering a little with fright. Erika was a bit scared herself, but steeled herself.
"Hey Rotodex, do you have any data on these guys?" she asked of her Pokédex. However, she didn't receive a reply. "Rotodex?" she uttered, remembering that it was in her bag before they went into the Ultra Wormhole. She pulled it out, seeing that all upon its screen was static as its eyes were shut. "Rotodex…" she said solemnly. Everyone looked over in concern.
"I guess there isn't really a way to get a signal here…" Gladion realized upon noticing. Moments later, Nebby landed down, allowing everyone to disembark from its back.
"Huh… huh…" Hau breathed out heavily.
"You're not tired already, are you?" Trent inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"No…" the ponytailed boy assured in response, "It's just… it's really hard to breathe here…" he admitted grimly.
"He's right…" Gladion confirmed, sweating a little, "This place wasn't meant for humans to live in…" he noted, "I can't imagine how Guzma or our mom survived in a place like this," he added, clenching his fists.
"Gladion…" Calvin uttered worriedly.
"At any rate, we oughta' get moving," Pyrrha insisted.
"Right," Erika agreed, "Lillie, you good to go?" she asked of her blonde-haired friend, getting her attention.
"Mm-hmm," she responded with a nod, turning to the Sunne Pokémon behind her, "Nebby, are you ready to come with us?" she inquired of it.
"Leeohh…" it huffed in reply to her surprise. She gave off a concerned look before blinking in realization.
"I see…" she said, "Even if you can't come with us right now, thank you for bringing us here," she told the Solgaleo in gratitude, "We can handle the rest," she assured. Everyone looked over and smiled, glad that the blonde-haired girl was being optimistic. But all of a sudden, streams of purple, poisonous liquid rained down, which Gladion noticed.
"WATCH OUT!" he screamed. Everyone hurried away, evading the streams as they struck the ground in bursts of grey dust. Once it settled, they looked up to find a trio of Nihilego floating down towards them.
"These guys wanna pick a fight, huh?" Trent inquired, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand.
"No… they're just here to try and keep us away from where we need to go," Gladion responded, pulling out a Premier Ball and enlarging it with a press of its button, "Calvin, Erika," he began to the Ketchum twins, causing them to both perk up, "take Lillie and find Guzma and our mother," he instructed to them, "We'll deal with the Nihilego," he promised.
"You sure you guys are gonna be okay?" Calvin inquired worriedly.
"Don't sweat it, cuz!" Hau assured, rearing his arm back after preparing his own Poké Ball, "We're trial-goers, too!" he pointed out with a big grin. He then threw his Poké Ball forward, allowing it to pop open as its light spilled forth in midair. It dissipated, revealing his Alolan Raichu.
"Ryy!" he squeaked in greeting.
"Let's go, Silvally!" Gladion called out, throwing his Premier Ball forward. It opened up, with its light spilling out onto the ground and dissipating to reveal the Synthetic Pokémon.
"Sivah!" it exclaimed. The Nihilego started firing off more streams of purple, poisonous liquid from their tentacles, raining down towards Silvally. However, the former Team Skull enforcer pulled out a disc-shaped object that had a roughened section.
"It's time for you become as sturdy as steel and negate that poison!" he declared to his partner, flinging the disc-shaped device. The metallic drive at the left side of the Synthetic Pokémon's head opened, allowing for the object to enter before it closed. Its eyes, spikes, drives, and fin membrane all changed to a silvery sheen color. The purple liquid that struck it caused a burst of smoke to erupt. Once it cleared though, it revealed that Silvally was unaffected.
"Whoa!" Hau gasped in shock.
"What was that disc thing you just used?" Paige inquired, raising an eyebrow after she blinked.
"That was a Steel Memory," Gladion replied, "Thanks to the RKS System, Silvally can change into any type from Normal so long as it has a memory installed," he explained to the group.
"And you've got all of them?!" Erika questioned on out of shock, earning a nod in reply from the former enforcer.
"Heh," Trent chuckled, "Don't think you can just show off, Gladion!" he roared out, firing his Poké Ball up into the air. It opened up, with its light forming in midair and dissipating to reveal his Skarmory.
"Skaaahhh!" he squawked out.
"Steel Wing!" his trainer commanded. The Armor Bird Pokémon had his wings shine in a silvery-white sheen, soaring down and striking two of the Nihilego.
"Silvally, Iron Head!" Gladion ordered, swinging his left arm out. His partner took a lunging stance, enveloping his entire body in a whitish light that made him appear black and white. He leapt up and slammed into the third Ultra Beast, blowing it back. They regathered, unleashing pale pink beams of light that sparkled.
"Come out, Mudsdale!" Paige yelled, flinging a Poké Ball of her own forward. It popped open, as its light spilled onto the ground in front of Silvally. The beams struck, resulting a powerful blast with black smoke to follow. However, it cleared soon after to reveal the Draft Horse Pokémon there as he huffed steam from his nostril, while a reddish aura flowed up his body.
"Nice going, Paige!" Erika complimented with a pump of her fists. More Nihilego started to fly over, joining their brethren. Pyrrha readied a Dive Ball in her right hand.
"Erika, go find Miss Lusamine and that Guzma guy!" she insisted of her friend, getting her attention, "We'll hold them off here!" she promised.
"Got it!" the Ketchum girl responded with a nod, "Let's go, you guys!" she called out to Calvin and Lillie, who hurried off with her. Two of the Nihilego flew after them, but they were suddenly blown away by a powerful jet of water that struck. It originated from Pyrrha's Lapras, as she looked on determinedly. She and the others were going to help their friends.
"It seems like this is the only path forward…" Calvin noted aloud as he, his twin sister and Lillie continued along through the cavern-like area.
"We should probably be careful," the blonde-haired girl advised seriously, "We don't know if there are more Nihilego and—" She stopped talking upon taking noticing something, screeching to a complete halt.
"L-Lillie?" Erika stuttered in surprise, "What's wr—?" She herself was silenced upon seeing what the professor's assistant had found. Calvin came over and saw as well.
"So you're still here, huh?" he noted. Sitting upon a ledge that overlooked the trio was none other than Guzma himself. He stared down at them before letting out a chuckle.
"I'm the boss of Team Skull, and I've never been scared of nothin' or nobody…" he grumbled out, "Heck, I live my life makin' people scared of ME!" he exclaimed, causing Lillie to slightly recoil in fright, while Erika stood in front of her defensively with her brother, "So… listen to what big bad Guzma has to say…" the Team Skull boss continued, taking on a very perplexed and concerned expression, "Y'all are stupid!" he shouted. It took a moment for the Ketchum twins to register what he said.
"…Huh?" they both uttered out, tilting their heads to the side.
"What do you mean?" Lillie asked, clutching the straps of her backpack tightly. She watched Guzma hop down from the ledge. Right away, Calvin noticed that he was trembling a little.
"How the heck did you even get to this place?" the Team Skull boss inquired as he approached the trio, "Got no idea how, but here you are…" he muttered out before he stopped, turning to the side.
"Where's Lusamine?" Erika questioned as she stepped forward. Guzma didn't answer, putting his hands onto his hips.
"It's all dark and hard to breathe here…" he noted, "I got no clue what's going on, but there's those beasts everywhere…" he added in admittance, "and I tried catching one of 'em…" he remembered, taking on a more frightened expression. The Nihilego he tried to capture not too long a time ago had gotten the better of him. The children nearby noticed how scared he was.
"Guzma…" Calvin uttered out.
"It possessed me…" the Team Skull boss recalled, "And that's when it happened!" he exclaimed additionally, "My body, my mind… they started running wild, and I couldn't do a thing about it!" he pointed out emphatically Lillie and the Ketchum twins, "It was like I became someone else, and I finally felt what fear is!" he told them, rushing his hands through his hair, "It was terrifying!" he yelled, shuddering afterwards.
"Mister Guzma…" Lillie uttered worriedly. The Team Skull boss turned away again, closing his eyes.
"I might be the Team Skull boss and never got scared of nothing or nobody… but…" he started to admit, "that lady… she's on another level!" he proclaimed, "She's way far gone!" he added, quite terrified, "She lost her mind over those Ultra Beasts…" he mentioned, "There's no talking to her, no reasoning with her…" he kept going, shaking his head, "She's just… gone…" he finished sadly. Erika balled her hands into fists upon hearing that. She hated Lusamine for she said about her children. She wanted nothing more than to make her pay for what she had done. But seeing how badly Guzma was afflicted by the Nihilego, she knew that the Aether Foundation president needed to be rescued. And Lillie did, too.
"That doesn't change anything," she stated firmly, "I still have to go!" she declared, continuing on ahead. Guzma scoffed, climbing back up to the ledge where he sat.
"I guess if anyone can make a miracle happen, it'd be you brats…" he noted to the Ketchum twins, getting their attentions, "But be warned… you're in for a hell of a fight," he pointed out grimly.
"Not like we haven't been through that before," Erika retorted, balling her fists determinedly, "Let's go, Calvin!" she called out to her brother.
"Yeah," he responded, jogging with her after Lillie. Guzma tensed up, gritting his teeth out of frustration. He was tougher than this. But the sheer fear he felt was too much for even him to bear.
The Ketchum twins arrived alongside their blonde-haired friend at the end of the pathway they had trekked down. They could hear explosions from afar, recognizing them as their friends battling against the Nihilego that were attacking them. Calvin was a little worried that they would be struggling, but he decided to keep his faith in his colleagues.
"It's a dead end…" his sister noted, looking around to see nothing but a small stone ahead of them along with the plentiful columns littered with diamonds, "Your mom could be anywhere at this point…" she added grimly to Lillie, who clutched the straps of her backpack tightly. All of a sudden, a quintet of Nihilego appeared, much to their surprise. Immediately, Calvin readied a Poké Ball in his right hand, enlarging it with a press of its center button.
"Togedemaru, go!" he called out, throwing the spherical container forward. It popped open, with its light spilling forth onto the ground. It shaped into form before dissipating to reveal the Roly-Poly Pokémon.
"Togeh!" he squeaked, followed by blinking in surprise and grimacing out of fright to see the Ultra Beasts looming ahead, "T-T-T-TOH?!" he stammered out.
"Come on out, Sandslash!" Erika beckoned, opening her Heavy Ball. The light that shot out from it shaped right beside Togedemaru, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Mouse Pokémon.
"San!" he exclaimed, rubbing his claws against each other to sharpen them. The Nihilego then started floating over each other. One by one, they all left the area, disappearing from the sight of the kids below. And at that point, Lusamine appeared, sitting upon the small stone in front of them with another Ultra Beast beside her.
"Mother!" Lillie gasped out, while the Ketchum twins and their Pokémon took ready stances. The Aether Foundation president chuckled silently before letting off a wide grin.
"Look at it…" she insisted, "The world of my darling Ultra Beasts…" she said, "A world where the only thing that exists is the love between Nihilego and myself," she added. Hearing that made Erika grit her teeth angrily. Her brother placed a hand onto her shoulder, enticing her to calm down. "So beautiful… So delicious…" Lusamine continued, "This is the real paradise!" she proclaimed, motioning her arms toward the entirety of what was around them.
"Silvally, Multi-Attack!" Gladion commanded from afar. The Synthetic Pokémon had a silvery aura shroud its body before lunging up and swiping at one of the Nihilego with its front legs, knocking it away.
"Raichu, use Psyshock!" Hau ordered quickly. As he was speeding about the area and evading the streams of purple, poisonous liquid shot towards him, the Alolan Mouse Pokémon had a purplish energy crackle in between his stubby arms. He fired off several streaks, striking two of the Ultra Beasts in pursuit of him in a powerful blast. Hearing the noises of battle from afar seemed to irritate the Aether Foundation president, who growled.
"And yet you!" she snarled out, "Why must you all continue to pester me?!" she inquired angrily, "I am sick of you! Sick through and through!" she added.
"You're the one who's sick!" Erika shouted back.
"Erika, easy…" Calvin pleaded, though he agreed wholeheartedly with her.
"Who told you that you could come here?!" Lusamine questioned on, "To the perfect, beautiful world of my beasts and me?!" she asked as she gnashed her teeth together.
"Neeeeheeee…" the Nihilego beside her hissed out. Togedemaru and Sandslash were still ready to battle upon any orders their trainers would give them.
"Think about what you're saying, Mother!" Lillie insisted, "What about Mister Guzma, who came here with you?!" she inquired, knowing that he had gone through the grueling ordeal of being possessed by one of the Ultra Beasts, "Don't you care about what happens to him?!" she asked on. From afar, the Team Skull boss remained sitting on his ledge, seemingly left without any feeling but fear in his mind. And Lusamine didn't seem to care one bit.
"Just leave," she requested, "I don't need you here…" she claimed, "I don't you need you any longer!" she affirmed, wearing a sadistic smile upon her face. Her daughter gasped, while the Ketchum twins glared. "Look around you! Look at this beautiful world that I've finally come to!" she insisted of her foes, "You want me to go back to that world?" she guessed, "That's what you've come to bother me for?" she inquired on, "Even you cannot be that stupid!" she exclaimed.
"It's not stupid!" Erika shouted, "Despite all the terrible things you did to Lillie in the past…" she continued as she clenched her fists tightly, "she's still here to try and save you!" she pointed out.
"Even if you think it's stupid, you won't stop us from doing what's right," Calvin declared firmly in addition. Meanwhile, Lillie tensed up beside them.
"You've always done this…" she muttered out sadly while shaking her head, "It's just like it was back at Aether Paradise…" she remembered, trembling a little, "Only thinking of yourself and what you wanted…" she mentioned in frustration.
"Lillie…" the Ketchum twins uttered out simultaneously.
"What…?" Lusamine said, narrowing her eyes onto her daughter, "Ahahaha!" she laughed, "And why shouldn't I?!" she questioned. More Nihilego appeared, floating about the open air.
"Mah!" Togedemaru yelped, ducking behind Sandslash out of fright as he growled and glared at the Ultra Beasts.
"I can live here in a world filled with only the things that I love!" the Aether Foundation president proclaimed, "And I will live here!" she vowed, standing up from the stone she sat upon. Her daughter was evidently cross, more so than she had ever been before. And the Ketchum twins knew that now was her time to speak, not theirs. "I don't care if you're my child or not!" Lusamine declared, "I don't care if you were loyal to me or not!" she continued, "I don't care if you're the rarest Pokémon there is in the world or not!" she kept ranting, "If you're not beautiful enough to be worthy of my love, then I don't NEED you!" she stated firmly, all while wearing her evil smile.
Lillie wasn't intimidated. She wasn't hurt by her mother's words. Her determined expression didn't waver one inch. The Nihilego floating about all hissed, prepared to attack.
"That's right!" Lusamine exclaimed, "All I need to exist in my world are the things that I want to have with me!" she announced selfishly, "Everything else is just a bother to me!" she added. And then, her daughter stepped forward. Calvin and Erika were surprised to see the anger upon their friend's face. But it was justified.
"I am the one who is sick of you, Mother!" she declared crossly, causing the Aether Foundation president to blink in surprise, "Children…" she began, putting her hands onto her hips, "Children are not just THINGS that belong to their parents!" she shouted, "Pokémon are not just THINGS that a trainer can do whatever they want to with!" she added loudly. Lusamine frowned. She was a little shocked by her daughter's defiance, but knew she couldn't ultimately do anything but speak. Yet her words were raining down hard. "I am alive!" she exclaimed, "Nebby is alive!" she added, "We are not things for you to collect!" she yelled angrily.
"You tell her, Lillie…" Erika remarked proudly, while Calvin grinned.
"We're not made for you to just throw away when you get bored with us!" the blonde-haired girl shouted to her mother, shaking her head, "That is terrible, Mother! You are terrible!" she yelled in frustration.
"…Hm," Lusamine scoffed with a shrug, "Terrible? Me?" she inquired, "How am I different from any Pokémon Trainer, like your little 'friends' there?" she questioned on, "What do you do with a Pokémon you can't use?" she asked rhetorically, "You remove it from your party, as you please," she said.
"There's no Pokémon we won't use together!" Erika shouted, finally chiming into the conversation, "Sure, there are times we can't bring all of them here together…" she admitted, thinking back to all of her Pokémon who were currently with her and at Kukui's lab, "but we don't just throw them away like you!" she exclaimed angrily.
"That's right," her brother agreed, stepping forward, "Compared to us, you've done something even worse as a person, let alone a mother…" he mentioned with a sharp glare. The Aether Foundation president growled.
"Enough of this useless chatter!" she shouted, putting her hands onto her hips, "I will never forgive you for stealing Cosmog from me, Lillie! Never!" she declared fiercely while gnashing her teeth together, "Back when you were small, you would listen to everything I said, without question…" she recalled, closing her eyes for a moment, "For a time, even you were adorable to me!" she mentioned, "But you've changed and become ugly…" she pointed out, "Ever since you met these children of Ash Ketchum… and learned to defy your own mother!" she added, growing angry, "Erika! Calvin!" she yelled as the twins stood firm, "You hateful little trainers!" she remarked in frustration, "How dare you intrude upon this world that was meant for Nihilego and me?!" she bellowed, "It is not to be borne!" she proclaimed, "And with Nihilego's power, I will show you how wrong you were to come here!" she vowed additionally.
"Fat chance!" the Ketchum girl yelled back, "They might be Ultra Beasts, but like Pokémon, they've got weaknesses!" she pointed out.
"And we know how to exploit them!" Calvin added.
"Togeh!" Togedemaru squeaked in agreement, finding the determination to face the horde of Nihilego. However, Lusamine cracked a smirk.
"You think so, hm?" she inquired, reaching her right hand behind her back, "Perhaps your father taught you well about facing such foes…" she noted aloud while pulling out a Beast Ball, "but I doubt he could've prepared you for this…" she declared, enlarging the special Poké Ball in her hand.
"Wait a sec…" Calvin uttered, recalling when he saw the Aether Foundation president capture the Nihilego back in Aether Paradise, "What are you going to do, Miss Lusamine?" he asked of her.
"What I must to ensure that no one ever bothers me or my sweet beasts again…" she replied, tossing the Beast Ball up. It popped open, with its light shooting up into the air before dissipating to reveal the Ultra Beast she had captured. It descended down towards Lusamine, who reached her arms up to it.
"MOTHER!" Lillie screamed, watching in shock with the others as they saw Nihilego engulf the Aether Foundation president. As the shadow grew over the group, they all stepped back nervously in fright.
"Wh…What did she just…?" Erika tried to ask, trembling with a horrified look in her eyes.
"N-No…" Lillie whimpered. Gritting his teeth together, Calvin growled a little. In front of them, Lusamine had fused with the Nihilego, transforming herself into a dark-colored version of the Ultra Beast with her upper torso in the bell, her legs hanging out of the body, and several different-colored eyes on her tentacles with gem-shaped pupils. Her hair had turned black with blond streaks and her eyes were now yellow. Six Ultra Balls appeared upon the tips of her front two tentacles.
"Now let me show you… the power of me and my sweet beast!" she declared to her foes.
ENDING
Insert "Selfish" by Madison Beer
Opens with Lillie lying on a sleeping bag, staring up at the stars while everyone's camped out around her. She closes her eyes, thinking back to a time when she and her family were happy.
We cut to her as a little girl, sleeping in bed with her mother. She appears content as Lusamine brushes her hair back and giggles happily.
Later, we see Lillie playing with a Clefairy and a Buneary alongside Gladion as they roam about the conservation area of Aether Paradise. Wicke and Faba watch on with smiles, as do Lusamine and Mohn. A while passes before Mohn holds his daughter by her little hand, walking along with her down a pathway. She smiles and momentarily closes her eyes. But when she opens them, she finds that her father is no longer there.
She's wearing her normal white dress and sunhat as she finds herself lost amongst the sea of Aether Foundation employees. She finds herself feeling all the more trapped in a place she once called home, hearing her mother's maniacal laughter. She covers her ears, whimpering with fright. However, she spots a faint light in the near distance. She approaches it and blinks in surprise to find that it's Cosmog.
Later on, we see her running through the conservation area with Nebby in her bag, trying to flee from the Aether Foundation employees after her. She finds herself surrounded, but all of a sudden, the Cosmog emits a starry glow that envelops both of them, causing them to disappear instantaneously. When Lillie wakes up, she finds herself on a beach as she cradles a weakened Nebby in her arms. She's then approached by Kukui and Burnet, who are both quite surprised.
A while passes before Lillie starts to live with the couple, as Burnet helps her out with Nebby and acts like a mother to her. Time goes on, and Lillie heads up to the Ruins of Conflict at Nebby's behest, followed by the incident in which Calvin and Erika helped to save it from falling into in the ravine below. After meeting the twins, Lillie found herself becoming much more active.
In spite of her fears, she helped support Calvin and Erika throughout their island challenges, while they helped her with Nebby. It's come to the point that she can really think of them as true friends. The scene changes to after her mother's disappeared through the Ultra Wormhole. She drops her duffel bag and tears up in horror and anguish.
She opens her eyes and sits up on her sleeping bag, folding her arms over herself and curling her knees in. Somber for a moment, she then looks at the snoozing forms of Calvin and Erika. She smiles, looking back up at the stars. Inwardly, she vows to do whatever she can to support them and save Nebby and her mother…
END ENDING
And there's another cliffhanger of an ending! With that, we're done with all the chapters for February! Now we'll get back to "Avengers: Omni Force" and hopefully get that all wrapped up neatly in March!
I gotta say, I'm really glad that we're getting closer to the next big arc of this story. Once we hit 60 chapters, there'll definitely be some big things coming for the rest of this 100-chapter tale. But for now, it's time to hold you all over with another summary!
SUMMARY
The battle against Lusamine begins! Can the Ketchum twins help save her from her fused fate with the Nihilego?!
END SUMMARY
Short and sweet without spoilers! See you all next time!